Penguins select Will Horcoff No. 24 overall in 2025 NHL Draft
The Pittsburgh Penguins selected left winger Will Horcoff of the NCAA’s Michigan Wolverines with the No. 24 overall selection in the 2025 NHL Draft on Friday night.
The Penguins acquired the pick in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings. In return, the Kings received the 31st overall pick, which Pittsburgh received from the Philadelphia Flyers in a trade earlier in the night, and the No. 59 overall pick.
Through 18 appearances with the Wolverines this season, the budding forward scored four times and added six assists for 10 points, coupled with six penalty minutes and a minus-four mark.
Prior to joining the Wolverines midseason, Horcoff spent the earlier portion of the 2024-25 campaign with the U.S. National Development Program, where, through seven outings, he picked up two goals and an assist for three points. Horcoff also saw 28 showings with the U.S. National Under-18 Team in which he collected eight goals and six assists for 14 points while posting 34 penalty minutes and a plus-five rating.
Horcoff’s year was also highlighted by a seven-game stint with the United States at the 2025 IIHF Under-18 World Championship that saw the 18-year-old native of Birmingham, Mich., put up a respectable four points, registering two goals and two assists, en route to a bronze-medal victory. Horcoff’s international resume also includes a silver-medal win with the Americans at the 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, where he recorded a goal and two assists for three points.
Beyond his goal-scoring ability as well as his willingness to serve as the net-front presence on the man advantage, Horcoff is noted for his physical game. Standing 6-foot-4, the booming forward uses his strength to not only disrupt the opposition but to protect the puck and create scoring opportunities for his side. Talent evaluators also point to Horcoff’s solid two-way game.
Of note, Horcoff is the son of former NHLer Shawn Horcoff, whose decorated career of 1,008 regular-season games counted stops with the Edmonton Oilers, Dallas Stars, and Anaheim Ducks, and who now serves as an assistant general manager with the Detroit Red Wings.
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